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Welcome to the Summer 2020 edition of the newsletter to keep you updated on the Twyni Byw – Sands of LIFE project.
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We are glad to announce that Covid-19 restrictions has loosened enough for us to be able to get started on our summer work programme.
Contractors John Davies Agricultural and Plant Contractor Limited are installing over 2km of chestnut fencing at Pembrey Burrows. We are also in the process of specifying over 8km of fencing to be completed in stages at Newborough. There will also be fencing work to be completed at Laugharne - Pendine Burrows. The fencing will help protect and control the livestock which perform the important task of grazing the dune grassland.
In August, we will be removing invasive broom at Morfa Harlech on an area which had been used as a conifer plantation in the past but is now being restored to natural dune. Non-native invasive species are also being controlled in the Twyni Penrhos area at Newborough, Morfa Dyffryn as well as Laugharne – Pendine Burrows in the south.
If invasive species are not controlled, they can have a smothering effect on rare sand dune wildlife. Our work to remove these species will ensure that the rare and native dune wildlife which depends upon bare sand habitat has the best chance possible of thriving.
We will be sure to keep you updated on the Sands of LIFE project’s plans over the coming months. Click here to read more about how we adapted our workload during the lockdown.
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We are glad to announce that we will be working in partnership with Drew Buckley Photography over the coming months.
Drew is an award-winning professional landscape and wildlife photographer based in Pembrokeshire. He has extensive experience in capturing the finest wildlife moments Wales has to offer.
For his first outing on behalf of the project, Drew ventured out to Merthyr Mawr. On a warm summer’s day, Drew captured the sites’ incredible dune landscape, a common lizard on their daily travels and bees busy pollinating some viper’s bugloss.
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With their incredible knack for keeping the dune grassland short and encouraging bare sand, wild rabbits are crucial graziers of our sand dunes.
Our sand dunes need to be grazed in order to stay healthy. A dune that is regularly grazed will have the perfect conditions to allow specialist dune plants and other wildlife to thrive. And, alongside grazing cattle and ponies, wild rabbits keep our dunes in tip-top condition.
In some dunes, rabbit populations have been in decline, so we will be encouraging wild rabbits by mowing vegetation, creating artificial warrens, and in some cases supplementing rabbit numbers; ensuring current populations remain safe and healthy.
For more information about our wild rabbit grazing work please email SoLIFE@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
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We would like to thank the Llanelli Herald for covering our important fencing work at Pembrey Burrows.
Engaging with local communities, either verbally, via print media or digitally, is a crucial part of our project. Please do get in touch should you wish to learn more about our project’s work in and around your local area.
We will be more than happy to arrange a talk with your local community group – either face-to-face when possible or via digital platforms.
If guidelines allow, we also hope to hold guided walks over the coming months. This will provide us with the perfect opportunity to chat further about the project and our aims to revitalise sand dunes across Wales.
You can read the Llanelli Herald article here.
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During lockdown we held our second External Stakeholder Group meeting. This was done in a socially-distanced way via Skype for Business. We were glad to be able to provide updates about the project and chat further about what we have planned over the coming months.
Should you have an interest in joining our next External Stakeholder Group meeting, please do email SoLIFE@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
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SoLIFE: LIFE 17 NAT/UK/000023
The Twyni Byw-Sands of LIFE project has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union
Part funded by Welsh Government |
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